Gilman man publishes book about girl's diaries

GILMAN — Donald Enz of Gilman has published “Edith B. Ziegenhorn Diaries, 1914 to 1917.” The diaries were started by Edith in 1914 when she was 14 years old and are daily glimpses into the life of a young girl.

Her father, August F. Ziegenhorn, owned and operated the Ziegenhorn Store in Claytonville. The store began as a hardware store and eventually was the only store in town and grew to handle groceries, hardware, clothing, wood and coal stoves, the post office, and drug prescriptions. It became the focal point of Claytonville and was a meeting place for locals to make phone calls and catch up on the local news about neighbors and the community.

This is the context of Edith’s childhood in 1914 to 1917. It was a transition period in America from horse and buggies to automobiles. In her diaries, she lists many names and activities which she was a part of, primarily music and church.

The book has been transcribed by her grand-nephew, and great care was taken to copy every word as it was written to maintain Edith’s personality and her daily life. It is a daily chronicle of chores and activities of a young girl. Edith was considered an adult, as most girls were, at age 16, and she did travel a great deal within the local area, to places like Hoopeston, Paxton, Milford, East Lynn and Goodwine.

The book is just over 400 pages and contains more than 50 photographs. It is available as an e-publication for Nook and Kindle readers, or in paperback form. It may be bought by following the links on the author’s website, www.enzart.net.

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